O' Brother Mine
by Sanas22
Summary: A person from our world wakes up to find himself as the youngest son of millionaire Howard Stark. With no cheat powers, see how he fairs in a world full of Magic, Gods and Space Ray Guns. (OC-SI) (AU) (Mix-of X-Men, Fantastic Four, MCU and comic lore) Cover Picture doesn't belong to me. (Rating: M, just to be safe)
1. Little Brother

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

I woke up with a start. My whole body was aching. I tried moving my hand, only to find it seized by someone.

"Arno. Wake up! Your parents are leaving for the Bahamas. Come on, we have to wish them goodbye." someone whispered in my ear.

'_Parents? The Bahamas?_' I asked myself while getting up. Looking up at the man who was standing in front of me, I called out, "Jarvis?"

"Yes, young master. Now let's go downstairs, you woke up late." He said after gathering me in my arm.

'_Wait, how is he picking me up? I am 18 for god's sake. And I remember asking Jarvis not to carry me in his arms as I am a big boy now._' I thoughts came to a halting stop. '_Big boy? WTF!_' I cursed inwardly.

Memories came to me, of a boy named Arno Walter Stark. I remembered so six years of my life that weren't a part of me, yet they are now.

Everything became clear to me by the time, Jarvis bought me downstairs, and I can hear mom, no Maria Stark, singing 'Try to Remember.'

I blinked and turned my head to look at them. When Jarvis put me down, I went down to sit with mom, my body going through the motions on its own.

A moment later dad, again no it's Howard Stark, walked in and peeked under the red blanket which was on the sofa.

"Wake up, dear, and say goodbye to your father." Mom said while her right hand moved away from the piano to pet my head.

"Who's the homeless person on the couch?" Howard asked with snark. I sniggered at that, my body and thoughts were still on auto-function mode.

Anthony, who was sleeping on the sofa, stood up and said with a bitter voice, "This is why I love coming home for Christmas... right before you leave town."

Mum turned around with me in her lap, and said to Howard, "Be nice, dear. He's been studying abroad."

"Really? Which broad? What's her name?" Howard asked in a monotone voice while removing Tony's Christmas hat from his head.

Tony quick with a response mumbled, "Candice."

"Do me a favor. Try not to burn the house down before Monday." Howard countered.

"Okay, so it's Monday. That is good to know. I'll plan my toga party accordingly." Tony moved towards me and kissed my head. Then looking towards Mom, he asked, "Where are you going?"

Maria looked Tony in the eye, and with a gentle smile, replied, "Your father's flying us to the Bahamas for a little getaway."

Howard interrupted, "We might have to make a quick stop."

Tony guessed, "At the Pentagon, Right?" Looking at me, he continued with a sarcastic tone, "Don't worry. You are going to party with me. While they are going to enjoy the holiday menu at the commissary."

Howard getting tired of the conversation, grunted and left.

"I'll go and get the bags." The ever so smooth voice of Jarvis interrupted us before he too left.

Maria put me down and walked towards Tony, who was sulking in the corner. They whispered words to each other, which I couldn't hear.

I tried flexing my arms, seeing if I could get control over this new six-year-old body of mine.

So I am in the body of Arno Stark, the second child of Howard Stark and Maria Stark, born on September 20, 1985. I went through the memories of Arno, and from what I found, the kid had a close relationship with her mother, who like his father was mostly away. Arno was raised by Ana and Edward Jarvis, just like Tony, only that he had more time to spend with mom. I need to deal with my identity before trying to find out which world I am in, from what I encountered so far, it is safe to assume that this is an alternate universe related to MCU.

I was still on the piano chair when I heard the car engine running. '_Wait... No! I have yet to warn them._' I stood up and ran towards the front gate. But I was too late, and by the time I reached, the car has already left. I saw Tony with dropped shoulders walking past by me, and Jarvis soon following him. I looked at Jarvis for some answers, he crouched beside me and said, "I am sorry, young master. But your father was in a hurry, and they had to leave."

"Bu-but I never got to say goodbye..?" Words soon left my mouth. My eyes were watering. '_Shit... oh, no. Oh, God. What did I do..._'

"Let's go to the kitchen. Ana might have baked some pancakes for you." Jarvis broke me out of my thoughts and took my hand in his.

It took me half a day to fully come to terms with what has happened to me. I pretended to be sad and sulked wherever Jarvis came for me. It was 8:00 p.m. when I decided to get up and see what Tony is up to. From my memories, I recalled that I would find him in his workshop.

Making my way there, I saw Tony working on a computer. Damm, that's an 80s computer. He was writing a string of codes on it. I moved behind him and asked, "What are you doing?"

Hearing my voice, he jumped, "Jesus! Arno. You scared the shit out of me!"

I giggled at seeing his reaction. He bought me up in his laps and said, "I am working on a computer interface, a first of its kind natural-language user interface."

"Uh-huh. Does it have a name?" I asked in wonder if this is what I believe this is, then this here is definitely a moment going in history.

"Yea, I got one, squirt." He replied while still typing.

"I hope it's not a name like Dum-E..." I wondered out loud.

"Hey what's wrong with Dummy?!" He looked at me, bewildered.

"Nothing, I just don't trust your name giving capabilities. So, go ahead, tell me." I calmly replied while looking over the codes.

"V.I.R.G.I.L. it stands for Virtual Integrated Rapidly-evolving Grid-based Intelligent Lifeform." He told me.

"That's a mouthful," I mocked him.

He gasped before saying, "What you got a better one?"

I nodded and replied, "J.A.R.V.I.S"

"Jarvis?" He asked in a confused manner.

'Gah! He looks so cute!' I smiled looking at Tony, I resumed after a while, "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System."

"I have no desire to spend the rest of the time as a disembodied voice" A voice spoke from the door. We turned around to look at Jarvis, standing at the door with a scowl on his face.

Tony laughed before turning towards me, "You know what squirt, J.A.R.V.I.S it is."

I woke up in the morning, feeling strange. 'You know, for a recently reincarnated person. I didn't go through the whole identity/existential crisis monologue. And the grief I felt for not stopping the deaths of the Stark is not there.' Thinking this, I tried saying, "Status" out aloud. Few minutes went by with me trying different names just to see if I have Gamer Power's, but that was not the case.

Stretching my little body, I went downstairs. While on the stairs, I heard a sobbing sound coming from the living room. 'I guess they got the news.' I sighed, walking towards the area, I saw Ana on the sofa. If I had to take a guess, Tony and Edwin would be at a hospital to identify the bodies. I made my way towards Ana and sat down next to her.

"Oh, Arno. I didn't saw you there." She spoke, wiping her eyes.

"Are you alright, Ana?" I asked in a small voice.

"Oh! You poor little thing." saying this, she scooped me in her arms and hugged me tightly. She tried to explain to me what happened, but only stutters came out of her mouths.

"Don't. I understand." I said, getting tired of her not speaking coherently.

Her red eyes stared at me, quizzically.

Sighing, I said, "I had a bad feeling yesterday when I saw them off. When can we go to see them? I want to be there when Mom wakes up." I made it sound like I assumed they had an accident

"Oh... Arno, their accident... I am sorry, my love, but you can never see them again." She spoke with tears in her eyes.

I stayed quiet and buried my face in her shoulder after hearing this. Truth be told, it was only the first few hours that I felt emotionally attached towards the Starks, but now it's like they were always a stranger.

**(TONY's POV)**

_"Say something, if you don't, you'll regret it."_

And damn right he is...

His mother is... was... always right...

Oh, how he regrets it that he didn't say anything. How he just brushed away her attempt to make small talk with his father. He sincerely regrets it very much...

If he knew that it would be the last time he sees them... he would have said something. Anything. A simple "I love you" or even a bad joke. He will give anything... anything just so he can say something to them!

But he can't... they are no longer in this world...

And he can do nothing but regret it...

'_F*k! F*k! Goddammit._'

He… he can't deal with this… he can't do this! He needs a distraction! Anything! Something! Something that… that will make all this pain numb ...that could have helped him with this!

The moment Jarvis stopped the car, he wastes no time to bolt out, ignoring his butler's call, and made his way towards his room.

His breath was getting heavier every passing second, he climbed up the stairs and reached his room. Looking over the place, he placed it in here, somewhere around here. His mother and father will frown upon it, but he found himself not caring about it right now, he needed this, he needed this for-

"Tony?"

A small and fragile voice reached his ears, and he jumped slightly in where he stands with a yelp. Hand holding his chest, he turned and found himself face to face with his little brother who peeks through the entrance of his room.

"Jesus! Arno! You almost give me a heart attack!" He exclaimed as he breathed heavily. "What are you doing here, squirt?" He asked as he approached his little brother.

Arno fidgets around, he seems nervous and unsure where he stands. Tony clicked his tongue in slight annoyance. "Listen squirt, go back to your room now, okay? I am doing something right now."

Arno's face scrunched to what seems like a frown, but in reality, it is more like a pout for Tony. "Are you plan to take those… white powder thingy again?"

'_White powder thingy?_' There so much jokes that he can be made from there, but he refrained from doing so, and only raised his eyebrows, "Maybe?" He answered in a deep voice.

"Don't," Arno replied, surprisingly his voice seems rather strong for a six years old kid. "Mom's not going to like that, it is bad for your health."

"Well, it's my own heart, and sometimes Mom did…" He trailed off as something struck his mind. Did… did.. Arno… "Arno did… did you know that mom and…"

"... I know." Arno murmured, face tilted down, eyes not meeting his. "Ana told me… mom and dad not coming home anymore."

… Jesus Christ…

Of fucking course, Arno would know! He was their son too! Of course, he would be told in some way! That their parents no longer in this world, leaving him alone and…

'_No, not alone…_'

Arno has him… and he has Arno too…

Their age gap might be different in quite a margin, but they are still brother, he is still Arno's big brother…

And as Arno's big brother, it is his responsibility to-

'_No, I can't. I can't do this. This isn't me, I am not suited for this._'

Part of him whisper those words to him. He can't do this. He can't take care Arno, heck, he can barely take care of himself and-

Then Arno look up at him, lips curled down and eyes - his mother's eyes- shimmering, and Tony remember.

_"Tony, this is your little brother," Maria whispered, carrying the small bundle on her arms. "Arno, say hi to your big brother."_

_The small baby peeked out from his blanket, and Tony look at him. The little creature wrinkling his nose and then let our gurgle while flailing his tiny arms._

_"Awww, aren't you just the cutest little monster." Tony cooed with a grin while waving his finger._

_"Tony," Maria gave him a disapproving look. "That is not what you should call your brother."_

_"But I am not wrong, right? This creature only knows to eat, cry, and poop. He can't do anything benefitting us, what else are you supposed to call him then?" Tony shoot back with a smirk._

_"Young man, I will have you know you are more monstrous than him right now." Maria deadpanned._

_"Hey!" Tony protested, but there's no heat in his voice._

_Small Arno making another noise that makes Tony look down, the young man sees the baby lips now wide open, making giggling noise and wave his small and flabby hands happily, reaching for him._

_"Hmmm, seems this small monster like you, Tony," Maria commented softly. "Why don't you carry him?"_

_"What? Me? Nope! I have shaky arms and I-"_

_"Here you go, young man."_

_Maria cut him by giving small Arno to him in a forceful yet also gentle manner. Tony grunted in response when he had to prop himself to get a better grip on his little brother._

_Tony levels a small glare at his mother and then looked down to see Arno who was smiling happily, he seemed content in his arms and was clapping his tiny hands together._

_Something seems moving inside him… it's warm and… it's not unpleasant feeling… he can't describe what he felt in a word but…_

_But he found it's not so bad feeling..._

_"What are you smiling at, squirt?" He asked, rhetorically at the baby who only giggled in response. "Well, since you are already born, might as well welcome you properly." He then smiled, gentle and warm. "The name Tony Stark, squirt, I am your big brother, and I will take care of you now."_

_'I will take care of you now…'_

He promised that in the past, didn't he? When he lifted this little guy up under his arms…

But in reality, he never did… he barely interacts with Arno, his mother, Ana and Jarvis did the rest. He never did a thing as his big brother other than teasing and showing cool stuff. He barely is a role model for him, their father who always goes away also not helping and thus Arno cling to their mother instead, making her as his role model and pillar for him

But that pillar is gone now…

He doesn't know why or how, but he found himself reaching Arno for some reason, embracing him in a firm hug. He felt his own body shake, and his breath becomes heavier but… but…

"Tony?" Arno called, voice sounds confused and lost.

"I will take care of you from now on," Tony said, his voice is shaky and yet there hidden steel in there, a vow. "You don't have to worry, everything will be fine for us. Everything will be fine." He repeated. He felt it more like for himself than Arno, but he doesn't care.

He needed to say that. He needed to believe in that. Because right now he doesn't know what else to do. Doesn't know what the future might bring for them but…

But one thing that he will make sure… he won't let his mother's legacy to just died away…

Then he feels Arno's small hand patted him on the back. It was weak, gentle, and small, but for some reason, it is comforting.

"Yes, I believe in you, big brother."

And for the first time in that day, after hearing those words, Tony felt the heavy burden on his shoulders lightened.

* * *

**Author Note: This is a self-insert in MCU, with the mix of FF and X-Men.**

**I am still new to writing and will try to deliver my best. Huges thanks to 'Writer with bad Grammar T-T' for helping me on this fic.**


	2. Ancient One

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

_"... Our first guest is the CEO of Stark International and the younger brother of the Stark-dynamic duo and a good friend. Here's Arno Stark! Everybody."_

_A man glided through the rails on the top of the studio to the desk of the host and landed on the stage. Turning towards the crowd, he waved his hands and performed a bow._

_"Wow... that was mighty impressive!" said the host, shaking hands with the man mentioned above, Arno._

_"Welcome to the show and happy holidays!"_

_"Thank you! And Happy Holidays as well."_

_Arno with a big grin performed a bow for the audience._

_There was a pause between both men as they waited for the audience to stop clapping._

_"So good things have been going on for you? Was it last month that you were declared the youngest billionaire?" The host clicked his fingers._

_Giving a reserved chuckle, Arno nodded, "Uhh... yeah. A week ago when I took over Stark International to help Tony with running the business, Forbes declared me the youngest..."_

_The talks continued for a good ten minutes with David and Arno discussing the working of Stark Industries and its various subsidiaries._

_"Before we continue further, this here is a picture that you recently posted on your Starkbook... this is DUM-E & U the first artificial intelligence prototype your brother made. And you captioned this post as, 'Might donate this bot to the Fire Department' Tell us the story behind this?"_

_Enthusiastically Arno spoke, "So there is this thing with Dummy... He LOVES to make smoothies... or coffee... well any drinks, he loves making stuff in the blender. The only problem is that he seems to make the perfect order for Tony. Yes 'Only Tony.' Whenever I am handed a glass of smoothie or coffee, it is nothing but motor oil dumped into the steel container. So one day, the day I uploaded the picture, I eventually snapped and told Dummy that I am donating it to the Fire Department. And I almost went through it, but a certain brother of mine stopped me."_

_As the laughter died down._

_"Away from the lighter sides of the topics, we also would like to know your stance on the Meta-Human Act and its impact on the Meta-Human community. While Senator Kelly has been spearheading this bill and proposed it to the general populous, it was Professor Xavier and you who are opposing the bill."_

_"Frankly David, the very bill is a mockery of our democratic institution…"_

_The show continued as David and Arno discussed the obstacles faced by the Meta-Human community._

* * *

"What are you writing?"

Tony twirled the pen in his hand, "I am working on the eulogy. I am considering taking Obie's speech and reading it."

We were in the chapel for the funeral of 'our' parents, it had been a week since I woke up in Arno's body. The day after the 'accident' Obadiah Stane visited us in the mansion. To say that I was wary of him would be an understatement, but considering all the things he did in 'Iron Man' it was a reasonable stance. The man acts quite pleasant, he stayed for a couple of days which he spent with Tony consoling him, but I saw the way his hands were like claws around Tony. The only good that came out of meeting him was that he kept Tony from going all pessimistic. He kept him busy with the talks of Howard and the company, the Stark legacy.

I spent most of the week with Ana. And I tried, I tried my best to act like a six-year-old, but it was difficult. The act was me being whiny and lazy, and I didn't like that, so I ultimately decided to act like my usual self. Which means it won't be much different from what I was like before but a bit mature, body hormones and expected 'Stark genius' for the win? Though I haven't done anything noteworthy like Tony but people still considered Arno/Me quick-witted. I also went through Howard's lab and found quite valuable things like notes on X-Genes and the mutant community (which makes me question the continuity I am in), Super Soldier Serum Version 2 which were not complete (most likely to be done on purpose), and theory behind Vita Rays. I took all these notes with me to my room. I knew that SHIELD would sooner or later sweep through the whole mansion packing all the projects Howard was working on, and not wanting them to have these notes I ultimately decided to keep these notes on me.

Besides SHIELD and Stane, the company was also becoming a nuisance. Before his death, Howard planned to take the company public, and Stane was subtly pushing Tony to make the decision now. Not only making the company public he was also asking Tony to declare SI's subsidiaries like Stark Pictures defunct, which I was strictly against. The company held the patent to the brand Captain fucking America, and I especially knew how much money Entertainment Industries will make in a decade from now on.

"You got something in mind?" He asked me, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I hummed for a while before saying, "I never got to say goodbye to them, Tony..." A pause and a chuckle were all he got, "I really have nothing to say for the old man. Sorry, I have nothing for you."

He smiled back, "Don't sweat kiddo, just like I said, I am struggling to write something decent myself." There was a pause as we continued staring at the notepad.

"You know... there are so many questions I wanted to ask him. He knew from early on that I never wanted to be in the weapon industry, but we never talked and now... now I hope Obie can make magic happen cause I really don't want to... want to do this." A sigh escaped his lips, he paused for a while before continuing, "Do you believe that dad was every inch of man we remember from the newsreels and the newspaper. I mean I can't even write a decent lie about the man. All I remember was him being this cold and calculating man, whom I saw the most satisfied when I was sent to the boarding school... maybe I can include that."

"Whew, I avoided a situation back there then, huh?" surprised I asked him.

He looked at me and laughed, "Yea, you did. Let me tell you, boarding school sucks."

We were interrupted by a knock on the door, we both saw Stane standing there with hands in his pockets. He moved towards Tony and placed his hands on his shoulder, "Heavy lies the head that wears the crown." This immediately brought a frown on my face, even here the dick head won't stop.

"Obie, not now," Tony replied in a tired tone.

"Alright, buckaroo. I just came here to tell you that your friend from MIT is here."

That certainly perked Tony up, James was here. He stood up and asked Obie, "I will go and see him in, why don't you look at the eulogy and tell me how it is?" turning towards me, he said, "I'll be back in a second Bambi, stay here." I gave a thumbs-up in return.

Tony left Stane and me in the room. Stane pulled the note pad up and started to work on it. I simply sat on the chair near, waiting for Tony and Jim to arrive.

I let my thoughts wander back to Stark Industries. I need to be strong. Both in the sense of personal power and corporate power. I am living in a world where potential enemies are everywhere, each one stronger than the other, held in place by... well nothing.

Kree and Celestials have already fucked us, humans, over. The only reason no one has paid attention towards Earth for millennia is because we offer nothing. But knowing that Kree and Celestial experiments are coming to fruition in this era, Inhumans and mutants respectively, we are royally fucked.

Earth will be ground zero for the recruitment of super-powered individuals. And empires like Shi'ar and Kree will go up and above to add these individuals to their domains. And with allies like *cough* _Asgard_ *cough* who are unreliable at best, Earth needs defenders. My shoulders sagged when I thought of this, why I am even thinking of this. It hasn't been even a week here, and now I imagining myself to be the de facto guardian of Earth.

'_With great power comes great responsibility and little happiness._'

My head snapped up, what the fuck was that? Who said that?

"Buckaroo!" I saw Tony and Rhodes walking towards me with a huge grin plastered on the former's face.

"Arno meet Honey Bear. Honey Bear meet mini-me." He introduced us to each other.

"Name's James Rhodes, not Honey Bear," said James with a pointed voice while looking at Tony, "and you must be Arno."

"Don't be a sour patch, Platypus," Tony replied nonchalantly. Before they could bicker, I stood up.

"Nice to meet you, James." Passing a glance at Tony, I continued, "I admire your tenacity to keep up with my brother. Not many can do that."

"It's a gift what can I say, I am good with kids." He flashed Tony a smirk and continued, "May I comment on how polite and courteous you are unlike certain someone." He replied with a grin.

Nodding my head slowly, I said, "Well, being the grown-up, I have to present a certain level of decorum." Just like Rhodes, I flashed a smile to Tony and said, "Also, allow me to thank you for taking care of my brother, I know how much of a menace he could be, you have my eternal gratitude." I ended with a slight bow.

Tony, who was gritting his teeth in the corner, interrupted us, "Okay. Stop this, the smile and all this 'Tony is immature' talk, stop. I don't like you two getting together anymore." Looking at Rhodes, he said, "I needed someone who would help me tease my cute little brother, not me." Pointing a finger towards me, he continued with a mocking tone, "And since when were you the mature one? Last I remember, I am the older brother."

"I don't know, dear brother. If I recall correctly, I have done my absolute best to portray myself as the perfect gentleman, unlike some toga party enthusiast." I grinned before putting my finger on my head, doing a thinking pose, "Aww... I get it, you are jealous. Well, don't worry, I won't steal James from you."

Tony gasped at that, "What Jealous? Jealousy is an emotion of simpletons, not me. Nuh-ah, I don't do jealous."

We both stopped at Rhodes snickering, "Okay, you both are so precious. As much I love this, I think someone wishes to talk to you, Tony."

Tony looked over and saw Stane looking at him with a smile. He moved towards him, I suppose he amended the speech, to be appropriate.

Now that Rhodes and I were alone, I asked him, "How's he doing?"

"Hmm." he had a puzzled look on his face.

"Tony. How is he doing?"

"You don't need to worry about that kid. He is doing fine."

But I didn't relent, so after some poking from me, he told me how Tony is doing. He also mentioned something that I didn't know before. '_Drunk_', that is what the autopsy reports say was the cause of the accident, the report was most likely altered by SHIELD.

* * *

"I never got to say goodbye to my parents. I had so many questions for the old man..."

Fuck! Okay... this is not what I expected. Nothing wrong with Tony's speech, it's just that I am on the upper level of the church, which is packed with armed guards. Guards for who you ask? Everyone. This church is filled with so many influential people; national politicians, renowned scientist/inventors, famous actors and actress, hell the fucking president and ex-president of united states, Bush and Regan, are here. Shit! This is scary and kinda awesome.

I can see Stane from here, trying to sweet talk to anyone and everyone in the crowd, fuck that man.

Stars above, I need a distraction. Ooh! A Piano, just what I need, though I shouldn't think of playing it, I know for a fact how loud church pianos are. I made my way towards the piano and sat on the chair. Looking down on my right, I could see Tony, every video camera in the hall was pointed at him while he was giving the eulogy. Damm! That are a lot of cameras.

I can't imagine the pressure he must be feeling right now.

From what I read the part about dad, said how he was a man of principles and

"...m-my mo-mother made New York her ho-home..."

Aaaand I just jinxed myself. I saw Rhodes move on the stage to comfort Tony. I stood up to make my way downstairs, I momentarily lost my balance and ended up leaning on the piano while pressing the keys with both of my hands.

***DUUUUM***

Alright, now I just screwed myself. Don't look back, everyone is staring at you. Through my peripherals, I can see Tony and Rhodes staring up at me. If I just leave, no I can't, that would be even more embarrassing. I mean they would dismiss me as a child, but my pride (scratch that it is embarrassment) as a man won't allow it.

Uhhh... Damage Control. I started playing the piano, as much I wanted to stop and smack my face, I held myself back together. What is my dumbass playing? Samidare from Naruto.

* * *

As soon as I was done playing, I stood up. Making sure that I was not making eye contact with anyone, I made my way downstairs. Until I bumped into someone.

"Oh my! I am so sorry, are you alright?" I looked up and saw... a teenage John Krasinski..? The nose looks the same, the hair could have been longer, but yea... this is a younger-looking Jim. While I was busy staring at him, he spoke first.

"Hey, you are the younger Stark, right? I just heard what you were playing on the piano, it was beautiful." He babbled.

Gathering my composure, I replied, "Thank you..."

"Ah... Reed Richards. Hello." Oh... Wow... What a surprise.

Calming my nerves, I spoke, "Hi, and thank you very much. I am so glad that you enjoyed it." After a pause, I continued, "I am so terribly sorry, but I am in a hurry to be somewhere."

"Oh, okay."

As much as I wanted to fanboy over Mr. Fantastic, I need to get out of this place, it is too crowded for my taste (translation: my baby hormones and adult mind can't handle the stress.) Is this the reason I took all those public speaking classes. Dammit! Taking a few turns, I found myself in the same room where Tony and I initially were. It was after five minutes that someone entered the room.

"Jarvis!"

"Young Master." He sat next to me, "Are you alright?" and embrace me.

Smiling weakly, I leaned into his embrace, "I am Jarvis. Please tell me that I didn't cause a scene?"

"None of that, Arno. Everyone loved the piece you played, and it bought enough time for Master Anthony to compose himself." Patting my head, he continued, "Personally, I loved the track. Does it have a name?"

I sighed, "Yes." Taking a breath before I continued, "It's called Samidare, which is Japanese for 'Early Summer Rain.'"

He hummed in return, "An apt name, your mother did enjoy tea and snacks during a rainy day, especially if the sun was out."

She did?

"Anthony has asked me to take you back to the mansion. Do you wish to leave?"

"Yes." If my reply was quick, Jarvis didn't mention it.

"Okay, then. Ana is waiting for us in the parking lot, let's go then."

As we were walking through the back door, a sudden realization dawned on me. This will probably be the best chance to act on it, because from now on leaving the mansion would be very problematic for me.

"Umm... Jarvis. Before leaving for home, there is someplace that I need to be."

* * *

After much begging and a little insistence from Ana, Jarvis agreed to make a pit stop for me.

Some more begging on my part and Jarvis allowed me to enter the building alone, with a promise that if I am not out in ten minutes, he will burst in through the doors of the building.

Walking up to the door of the New York Sanctum, I knocked it.

An old man opened the door, looking at me for a moment, his eyes wander off to meet Jarvis who was standing on the sidewalk.

"My name is Arno Stark, I would like to request an audience with the Ancient One."

Before the old man could speak, someone else answered my request.

"Oh my. I wasn't expecting any guest today." The old man moved away, and Ancient One came in his place.

"Hello, little boy. How can I help you today?" Alright, I will allow that.

"I am here to request a personal tutor." She is already here, well it has been a week since I have been in this universe, she might have detected some kind of changes in the western hemisphere.

"Personal tutor? You must be in the wrong place, little one. No academic services are offered here." Okay, my fault I should have made my request a bit clearer.

"I wished to be trained in the mystic arts." I knew that she knew why I was here, but hearing it from my mouth confirmed it for her.

"Ah... I am sorry, but we don't offer that service here. You need to be in Kathmandu, Nepal, to be eligible for those amenities. Even if you reach Nepal, there would be a very minuscule chance for you to learn arcane arts. Last I heard the one who runs that place is a bit of a stickler." Okay, she is playing with me, right? She must be!

"Maybe you can make an exception for me, Ancient One." I tried pleading again.

There was a long pause between us before she continued.

"How peculiar... I am sorry, but my answer is no." She paused to look over my shoulder and said, "I believe it is time for you to leave; your custodian is getting impatient."

Before she could close the door, I made a gamble and spoke, "Do you believe Stephen will be enough to protect Earth when the time comes?"

She stilled for a second before her eyes moved over towards me. And I knew that this time she wasn't amusing a six-year-old child, she is taking me seriously.

"Explain." She was looking at me with such intensity, it was as if she was trying to see my soul.

"Have you used 'the eye' since last week? A whole lot of future has changed in such a short time."

Deliberating for a while, she replied: "Why should I take your words into consideration and not just..." She tilted her head, leaving the threat to my imagination.

There is only so much information regarding her that I can discuss here in the open. Dormammu is a definite no-no, so what else is left.

"Arno!" A shout interrupted my thought process. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Jarvis pointing at his watch.

I returned a forced smile in return and asked him for a minute. After weighing all the options, I replied, "675 years of experience. And you gamble all of it on Stephen Strange? Do you really think he could stop the Destroyer of the Worlds?"

She looked taken back by my words, "What travesty have you bought upon us?"

"Nothing. None. There is nothing wrong, but I need help, and you need time to think this through. Please get back to me as soon as you can." I ended the conversation and made my way back to the car. Leaving her staring at my back.

* * *

**Author Note:**** Sorry for such a long delay. Being new to writing, I am second-guessing my every move. Ideas come to me easy, but adequately executing them is very difficult. **

**Uhh... Tell me your thoughts about the chapter, I'll do my best to update by next week. Next chapter is halfway done, so no waiting for a month.**

**And yes, Reed looks like John Krasinski, you can imagine who Sue Storm will look like.**


	3. Magic and Aliens

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"So, California, huh?"

"Yup. The city of angels." exhaling, he continued, "Obie bought a couple of months for me before the board start hounding my ass. I need something to keep me busy and distracted, learning the role of the CEO would be an acceptable substitute." Tony spoke in a tired voice which already showed how delighted he was to go into the family business.

He was going through the company records that the family's lawyer presented us last night. All the contracts the company had with the military and other paramilitary organization, I am looking at you SHIELD, and company's defunct factories and it's subsidiaries.

"And you will be with him for the next couple of months?" I asked Rhodes, trying to divert the topic.

"Yup!" relaxing into his seat, he stretched his arms, "Now that the Gulf affairs have settled, I requested my superiors for a short sabbatical. Which was approved this morning." His face is now sporting a grin.

"Stark Pictures! What?" Tony exclaimed, bringing our attention back to him.

Stark Pictures, now that is something I would like to get my hands on. Entertainment Industries is one of those areas in life that could potentially end up making me billions if I know how to use it.

"Well dad did a lot of things in the past, besides, didn't you and Obie discussed this already?" I questioned him.

"It is very bold of you to assume that I was listening to anything that Obie was saying. And this, how come I never knew of it!" He rubbed his forehead.

"Well, Jarvis should know about this, he would have been around the time when the company was operating. Why don't you ask him?" Rhodes suggested.

Interrupting him, I said, "You know it would be best if we leave this for later and..." looking at the clock, "leave for the kitchen to have some breakfast."

Agreeing with my words, Tony's stomach growled.

"Agreed," Rhodey said, standing up, "From what I have been told. Ana Jarvis makes one hell of a pancake. Apparently even better than my Ma."

Throwing his arms around Rhodes's waist, "You better believe it." He dragged him towards the kitchen.

Chuckling at their antics, I too stood up to follow them.

.

.

.

This is weird.

I remember walking towards the kitchen. What am I doing in front of the main door?

_Open it._

What? I looked around, trying to figure out what happened.

But it was in vain because I did what the voice told me. I opened the door.

Seeing a man on the other side, I started sweating. My body is not agreeing with me. What the hell!

But something washed over me. Something that made me calm in an instant. My eyes met the stranger, silver eyes, short and textured beard and a smile that is filled with warmth. Moving my gaze away, I focused on his attire. Wearing pants which could honestly be considered something that only a child would wear, stars and moon were sketched onto it, he was donning on a stained coat and holding a golf cap. Overall his attire made him look like a homeless person.

"Not a homeless, sunshine." He spoke up in a soft tone that somewhat reminded me of Jarvis.

Words soon left my mouth, "Never said you were one. But. If you are looking for your childhood in those pants, I will tell you that you are in the wrong place."

"I didn't come here to hear yer smartass remarks, lad." He leaned in and flicked my forehead.

Scowling, I responded, "I am sorry. It looks like I forgot one of the most important lessons that Jarvis taught me..." Before I could shout, 'Stranger Danger.' I found my mouth to be sealed. Alarmed, I tried to move, but I couldn't.

The man beamed, "Now listen here, lad." Leaning forward, he proceeded, "A couple of days ago, you knocked on the door of my associate beseeching her aid. Now she is busy doin' her own thing, so I would be fillin' her role for now."

Something snapped back, I felt it. Moving my mouth, I found out that I regained my motor functions.

"Y-You are from Kamar-Taj?" I asked him.

"No," his reply short.

"Th-Then, who are you?" I stuttered out a question.

"You know me." He answered.

I shook my head, cause I bloody well didn't.

"You do. You know me by the name, 'The Magus who dreams of the future' or 'The Flower Magus.'" He clarified with a smirk.

The first word that came to mind was Merlin. Crapbasket!

"Ay, 'crapbasket' is an apt way to describe your situation." He took out a futuristic-looking monocle and gazed at me through it, "Not even from this multiverse, eh. Aren't ya in a shit load of trouble, kiddo?"

Just to confirm his identity again, I stammered out, "M-Me-Merlin?"

Spreading out his arms, he declared, "The one and only." Seeing my stumped face, he giggled, "Come, we shall introduce the magnificent me to your family."

* * *

**Four months later**

So I am learning mystic arts from Merlin f**king Ambrosius.

A little info dump for those who don't know who Merlin is. The name Merlin refers to many beings across the Omniverse. Here in front of me stands Merlyn of Otherworld, a gestalt entity made up of each reality's Merlin.

He was born of an incubus and a nun who drank the holy water. The young cambion grew into his powers from a young age. Seeing the future, shapeshifting, energy manipulation, you name the magic ability, he had it mastered by his late teens.

His feats include easily keeping up with the erratic teleportation of Space Stone while pissing on a blind corner of a random street.

He is also somewhat responsible for the formation of the Britain-exclusive superhero team Excalibur, not in this Universe though.

With such a long list of merits, I expected Merlin to be something more. But he ended up being a lazy, laid-back, childish and rarely serious person. He was somewhat full of himself and enjoyed flaunting his superior magical prowess.

Sighing I made my way downstairs. For the last four months, Merlin taught me nothing but meditation and being one with nature. Well, he also had me revise all of my academic education to the high school level, I need to keep a sharp mind after all.

Edwin has welcomed Myr with open arms, the fellow Brits spend most of their time sipping tea and talking about the good old days while watching the dusk. Leaving me alone to read magical theory, so no complaints there.

Ana was a bit skeptical at first. After all, a random stranger comes to their doorstep, offering his services as a homeschool teacher.

Tony was a bit distressed, not with Merlin mind you. He was just sad that I would not get to experience the life of a student. Well, Tony, I am pleased with your concern. Sorry to disappoint though, I have already experienced the whole school life, it was fun while it lasted. Sorry, I can't tell you about it, bro.

But all in all, Merlin was soon accepted as my teacher and offered a guest room in the mansion. I don't know how he did it, but he did, without raising any Red Flags. Which should be waving like crazy in my opinion.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Well, today is the day. Go ahead, do it." Myr spoke nonchalantly.

"And how do I do it? Do I get chants or something?" I asked perplexed.

"Humph," let it be known that Myr is not a morning person.

"No, chanting is nothing but mnemonic device there to help the caster. And No, Magic does not require hand gestures either. Magic merely requires internal balance and internal focus." Looking at me, "But since you are a beginner, you are allowed to use hand gestures."

"Okay," speaking slowly, "But what do I do now?" I asked for more clarification.

"Start by manifesting mystical glyphs in the air." He answered.

"But how? I would be waving my hands in the air?" Did I suddenly become dumb? Or is Myr playing a prank on me? I doubt, a prank takes some effort to pull off, and from the looks of it, Myr was in no mood to put effort into anything.

"Kid. Two words. Internal Balance, and Internal Focus. Realize whatever you wish to project, and it will happen."

Okay, something is definitely up. But now is not the right time to bring it up, let's focus on making a mystical shield.

Finding a good spot on the carpet, I sat down.

_Breathe in,_

_And Breathe out._

_Breathe in,_

_And Breathe out._

_Breathe in,_

_And Breathe out._

Moving my arms forwards, I rotated them in a clockwise direction while thinking of the mystical shield.

Control it, by surrendering to it. I kept on repeating the mantra.

It was on my third rotation that I noticed some golden sparks forming in thin air. Resolving, not to break focus, I continued the rotation until the shield was formed. Before I could find joy within myself, Merlin interrupted me.

"Fifteen rotations. You would be dead before you even try to defend against enemy attack." Shaking his head, he stood up, "Keep on practicing. I'll be back." And he left the room.

Ouch... That hurt. Frowning, I decided to carry on with my practice. I won't be hurt by mere words, let Merlin throw his tantrum, I am a f**king adult.

**A week later**

"Magic is intuitive and about feelings and emotions. Yet it also has rules, rules that can't be described by rational thought. It is through the learning of yourself, your Universe and your dimension that you learn of these rules."

.

.

.

"There are three types of magical energies:

Personal Energy - they are derived from one's life force, continual and rash use of them will lead a sorcerer inert. Mental abilities would be available to you depending on your mastery over the Astral Plane.

Universal Energy - your soul, represent your mystical attributes, and through this, you draw forth magic from your home dimension.

Teleportation, conjurations, dimensional travelling, illusion-casting, energy projection and energy shields are some of the most proficient studies under this division.

Dimensional Energy - are the powers bestowed on a sorcerer by other supernatural entities.

Rituals and sacrifices are some of the most proficient examples. In essence, any spell in which an Entity is called upon to cast it, is a Dimensional Ritual, whether it is a Power, use of Sorcery, or a Ritual."

.

.

.

"Order of the Mystic Arts isn't an exclusive magic school on Earth, though it is the most prominent. They teach the most common style of magic Eldritch Magic, which is universally exercised by many. Besides the Order of Mystic Arts, there are other magic schools such as Harkness/D'Arqueness witches (Agatha and Agathe), Faerie Magic (Margali of the Winding Road), Atlantean Magic, Magic affiliated with different Pantheons (Angelic Magic or such), Rouge Alchemists like Hiram Shaw, Isacc Newton, Diablo and many others. All the people mentioned above follow the path of magic which isn't taught in Kamar-Taj."

.

.

.

"Agamotto, Zhered-Na, Saraswati Akah Maat, Ayesha of Balobedu, Hermes Trismegistus, Genghis Khan, Zoroaster, Semiramis, Solomon, Balkis, Triumvirate (Thales the Milesian, Pythagoras of Samos and Pherecydes of Syros; and Empedocles of Agrigentum who replaced Pythagoras in 470 BC), Caius of Lacedemons, Zhang Jiao, Aryabhata, Kushala, Yao and the Ancient One. These are the names of all the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. Here is a book detailing their sagas. I want you to read it and memorize it. Everyone on the list bar Agamotto, Ancient One and Genghis Khan may be dead, but it doesn't mean they are unreachable."

**A month later**

Some of the things that I learned during the whole month were quite surprising. First of all, Sorcerer Supremes of my dimensions are somewhat similar, to my best of knowledge, to their marvel-comic verse counterparts.

Second, Genghis motherf**king Khan is still alive. Though he has lost most of his mental capabilities due to old age. According to Merlin, a human brain and immortality don't mix well.

Third, the third Sorcerer Supreme, Zhered-Na, was killed by Atlanteans for prophesying the sinking of Atlantis... and the sorcerers still hold a grudge. So if I am going to ally myself with the Order, I know who I which side to pick.

Fourth, Zoroastrianism was a practical prank done by Yahweh, the God of Bible on Zoroaster, the seventh Sorcerer Supreme. I have no words to describe it but, fk yeah. I need more details on the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Fifth, Aryabhata, the fourteenth Sorcerer Supreme, created a spell similar to Dividing Gear and Worthlessness. His Art of Zero is a book that I dearly wish to acquire. Finding his inheritance would be difficult, but I will get it. Divine Dividing is fun, but Worthlessness is something that I would love to have in my arsenal.

Sixth, the fifteenth Sorcerer Supreme, Kushala was a total badass. Period. The woman was a Sorcerer and a Ghost Rider! Sadly she passed away fighting the Frost Giants in Tønsberg.

Lastly, Isacc Newton, Ancient One's first choice of a successor, turned out to be a megalomaniac. He tried to steal, Word of God, an authoritative magic tome containing most potent magic which allows the user to create, destroy or alter reality. Merlin imprisoned Newton for his indulgence, and that's how he made the acquaintance of Ancient One.

Whew... That was a long spiel about what new I learned. Some things were similar to the comic-verse, my meta knowledge can attest to that. The whole Newton thing... that was something that I read on the Wikia before. I wonder what else is familiar from the comic-verse.

Gently putting down the book on Astral Plane, I stood up. Entering the Astral Plane will allow me to gain mental abilities like telekinesis and telepathy. (Fun Fact: Every Telepath derives their power from the Astral Plane, which means that there is a teensy amount of hope that I could surpass Charles Xavier) As soon as I get the green light from Merlin, I will dive head-on into this aspect of thaumaturgy. Until then, I am trying to perfect my Illusion Magic. When you know shit like Full Hypnosis of Aizen Sousuke why bother learning anything else. You know how OP his skill turned out.

Aside from the Illusion casting, I'm also mastering teleportation spell. Universal energy is way easier to locate and connect to than the other two. So I have taken upon myself to learn the nature of the Universe before looking towards other esoteric forces of magic.

**A month later**

"Really?" I asked Myr while pointing at the book in my hand. A book which was titled '_How not to Summon Demons like my stupid Husband, and be an awesome badass sorcerer supreme by Queen Balkis of Sheba._'

"Yes, really." He said while taking the book out of my hand, "This tome belongs to Earth's 10th Sorcerer Supreme. Do you know who her husband was?" Given the title of the book... It was pretty clear the answer was Solomon, but I didn't speak up.

"The tome contains knowledge over Summoning, Conjuration, Necromancy and ten other subjects that I won't have to teach you if you read it."

Sighing tiredly, I took the book back from Merlin.

"Thank you for your tome. I'll do my best to learn all of its content." Gone were the promises that Merlin made during the first few months, ever since the day I first used magic, he has been acting distant. Besides teaching me in the theoretical stuff, he hasn't been teaching me much.

But before I left, I had a question that I wished to ask him.

"Hey, Myr. Weren't you present during Arthurian Legends? Which should be around 400 BCE. Why weren't you chosen to be the next Sorcerer Supreme?"

Running a hand through his hair, "I was offered the position of Sorcerer Supreme, but I declined. It was too much trouble for me. My multiversal counterpart came to me with an offer, and I wanted to accept that rather than stay here on Earth in an old mossy temple. I took on Arya as my disciple, and he later became the successor to Zhang."

"Wait? Multiversal counterpart? How many of you are there?" I always assumed that Merlin was one singular entity, who entered the Marvel Omniverse and anchored himself to the Avalon, Otherworld.

"Yea, there are different iterations of me through the multiverse. I live both 'backwards' and 'sideways.' " He left it there, not willing to expand on it further.

Taking his silence as my leave, I left.

**Two months later**

Soooo... Erm. Merlin left. Leaving nothing behind but a note.

_I am sorry. I know I haven't been the ideal figure you were hoping to meet. Meeting you was an indulgence for me. How ecstatic I was to find someone from outside the Omniverse. It was like a story come to life. You, the protagonist had no spiritual guide since I didn't sense anyone's essence on you... *cough* ROB, ASB or Zelretch *cough* or any extraordinary power. I decided to intervene, hoping to relieve my King-maker days. But I am also the magus who dreams of the future. I get to sit on the golden seat, through which I see an infinite number of variables in the Multiverse where destiny takes unexpected turns. _

_The day you performed your first magicks, was the day you were 'officially accepted' into the universal system. Assimilating as a native, you had your fate and destiny drawn that day. And I got to see what my indulgence would cost you._

_I won't try to be cryptic, but I will try to explain it to you in words that won't further cause problems. First, let me make this clear. Nothing is set in stone, the universe works as a probability machine. It doesn't determine your fate, but it can calculate the route it should take to reach a certain point. _

_Every interaction between you and me was making a shift and showing me things differently. They ranged from being a sex-slave of Morgana Le Fay to unravelling time itself leading towards the destruction of the multiverse (your 'executive plans to become god-king' sucks, don't follow them.)_

I paused there. Executive plans to become God-King were the ways I would rant at various fanfics from my previous life and poor choices the SI's would make. Super Soldier + Extremis doesn't mean a bigger better serum... they would counteract each other, and at best it would leave the SI a cripple. My alternatives were mostly gaining power in the short term and then hoarding it. It was a crude method with no much story development, but they make sense!

Stopping my internal monologue, I went back to reading the note.

_I know that you know that, how things work. So I hope you won't be cross with me._

_Now to make it up to you, and my parting gift. I leave you with the legacy of Aryabhata, the fourteenth Sorcerer Supreme. I understand that you fancied his work, so I bequeath this to your care._

_Lots of Love_

_Myrddin of Ruta_

_._

_._

_. _

My initial thoughts reading this note was a bit of apprehension. This looks like a plot drive to me. Shaking my head, I picked up the tome which replaced the note. I trust that Merlin would have navigated his interaction with me to 'will' the best outcome possible for me. But now this leaves me in a tight spot. Knowing about this would now make me second-guess each and every one of my choices. Dammit.

**A week later**

_Mediocrity wasn't acceptable. Being talented wasn't adequate. It didn't matter if I wasn't a genius. I will utilize every method known to me to grow into one. _

This was my new mantra. After a whole week of indecisiveness, this is my answer… to well... everything. You could thank Ozzy Osbourne for this, 'War Pigs' may have influenced me... a lot during this week.

Twirling my fingers, I floated the Rubix's cube towards me and started solving it. It was a strange feeling, Telekinesis, that is.

It was last night that I first formed a connection with the Astral Plane. I've yet to enter the metaphysical plane itself, but a meagre bond was enough to access abilities like TK at its lowest potential.

Ever since I established the link, there has been some minor buzzing in my head. I believe this strain is the potential to use Telepathy, but until I form a domain for myself in Astral Plane, this ability would be nothing but potential.

Solving the cube, I looked over at the clock hanging in my room. I retired early for the night. Hopefully, the Jarvises won't be coming into my room during the night, for they wouldn't find me in the room. The clock showed the time to be 9:30 pm, which means the time in Kathmandu would be 7:00 am.

.

.

.

Exiting the portal, I was greeted by a magical whip to my face. Fortunately, due to my short height, I was able to twist on my heels and dodge the attack. Laying on the ground I turned over to see my assailant, I saw a Chinese teenage standing over me with an eldritch sword in his hand. Thinking fast, I rolled over to my side. He lifted his foot to stomp me, but I caught it and used TK to unbalance him. As he fell backwards, I stood up and cast a binding spell.

"Now, now. I didn't know Kamar-Taj was this hospitable towards their guest." I asked in a strained voice. My bindings could be broken by him any second, the shock of seeing a six-year-old is what baffled him and distracted him for long enough for me to speak. Talking to him and clearing away this misunderstanding is the only solution I can foresee. Fight him, I can't.

"A person who is invited by the host would be considered a guest. Your actions implied you to be an intruder." came the reply from behind me.

Sneaking a glance behind I saw the woman I came here to meet walking towards me.

Taking a step backward, I gently released the bindings.

"If not for your short stature, Wong would have definitely decapitated you. Mr. Stark." Words left her mouth as she stood next to me. I rolled my eyes hearing this. Thank you for pointing that out.

"Good Morning, Ancient One. I apologize for coming here uninvited, I didn't exactly possess the means to contact you." Looking over to the Chinese teenager, now identified Wong, I asked: "You alright?"

Ignoring me, he glanced over to Ancient One and bowed in greetings. Words soon left their mouth, a language not known to me.

It was when Wong left us that Ancient One motioned me to follow her. Climbing the stairs, we reached her personal study. Entering the room, she offered me a seat.

Getting comfortable herself, she asked me, "Would you like some tea?"

This is going to be a long night, forget Ancient One, I still have more plans for the day. Nodding my head in acceptance, I received the hot cup.

"Darjeeling?" I asked, taking the first sip, which reminded me of home.

Smiling, she nodded, "You have good taste."

We sat in silence, drinking the tea. The moment we finished it, Ancient One conjured the cups away.

Placing her folded fingers under her chin, she questioned me, "Who are you Arno Walter Stark?"

"Uh... What exactly do you mean?" If I need to access to the library, I need to state her curiosity. I hope this was curiosity and not an interrogation.

"As the Sorcerer Supreme, I walk on a fragile line separating life and death. I have a tendency to be careful around kids who come raging at my age and experience." Feeling embarrassed, I ducked my head. Well, there was no other way to get your attention, what would you have me do?

She paused for a moment to think, then continued, "Allow me to be candid. I've seen what you are trying to achieve Arno. Global upliftment, the unification of the planet..." she hesitated and broke her train of thought, "You are certainly ambitious. It doesn't help that you have the power to influence the future in any fashion you want to. Your knowledge is not only limited to the future but also spans far back in time. Mentioning my age is one thing that pops into my mind first, but I have further evidence to prove this point. Your knowledge on Mutants or Meta-humans as you like to call them, and Inhumans. Don't look so perturbed, the Eye of Agamotto was conceived to be used for situations like these. Your conversations with King Boltagon in the future were most enlightening."

Well, the misconception I had that only Strange used the Time Stone candidly were broken here. I don't know how to respond to any of this.

I acknowledged that one day, the time would come when the people around me would question my actions. A day where they won't put that nagging feeling that something is wrong under the rug. So, for a situation like that, I did create a cover story. But sadly from the look on Ancient One's face, I can't tell the 'lie,' for I might lose any chance I have to create an amicable relationship with the Order.

Cranking my neck, I slackened my body posture, "I am not comfortable with telling you everything. But I can confirm that on the day my parents died, I ended up with the knowledge of a different version of Earth, not ours." Nodding her head, she allowed me to continue, "My first instincts were to save them, but the universe had different plans."

She asked me getting to the point, "So in this other version of Earth, you knew me?"

I shook my head, "No, the thing with this universe was that I never existed. I was following my brother's journey, which ended in 2018 when half the life on the universe was erased. I knew of you from Stephen Strange, the sorcerer supreme of his time."

Horror twists her face before she could stop it. "What?... How?"

Now that I had her attention, I leaned forward and started telling the whole plot of MCU.

"A megalomaniac got his hands on all the Infinity Stones, and to bring balance to the universe, he sacrificed half of it. Stephen didn't survive the aftermath, neither did the stones."

The Ancient One gulps and listens to what I say next.

**A day later**

_Fly me to the moon_

_Let me play among the stars_

_Let me see what spring is like on_

_A-Jupiter and Mars_

_In other words, hold my hand_

_In other words, baby, kiss me_

I miss Merlin... I mean... I wasn't a fan of his ostentatious attitude, and 'everyone is jealous of me, and I am the best attitude.' But he knew of me, he knew of my circumstances. I didn't have to act like a child in front of him. This makes me a selfish bitch, right? What I am trying to say is that his absence was felt. Tony has been gone for nine months, and yes his lack of presence did irk me, as well. But landline calls every alternative day made up for that feeling.

Forget me, even Jarvis is missing the old magus. He now doesn't have a friend to compare old war stories and sip tea with.

_Fill my heart with song and let me sing for ever more_

_You are all I long for_

_All I worship and adore_

_In other words, please be true_

_In other words, I love you_

Things with Ancient One may have taken on a turn that I didn't expect. But I ended up achieving what I planned for, access to Kamar-Taj's library. Though, I might have portrayed 'Infinity War' to the Ancient One in a dark tone. I mean if she knew about the 'Endgame,' she won't have a reason to help me, which was counteractive to my argument. I know, what I did was wrong. But I need her to be a bit distraught, just enough that she would explicitly trust me.

_Fill my heart with song,_

_Let me sing for ever more._

_You are all I long for, all I worship and adore._

_In other words, please be true._

_In other words~_

_In other words~_

_I love you._

I have taken upon myself to entertain the Jarvises for the evening, hence me singing and playing the piano. Seeing them dance to Sinatra... man, it made me happy. Now, if only I had a deeper voice. But nope, I would have to deal with puberty again to get that.

As the song ended, they gave each other a chaste kiss. Allowing them to enjoy the moment, I made my exit. I have plans for tonight, and they require me to change clothes.

.

.

.

Clearing the path, I raised the ball of light which was resting above my head. In front of me was the Inca temple where Peruvian 0-8-4 was discovered by Phil Coulson's team. The HYDRA weapon powered by Tesseract energy.

It was when Ancient One mentioned the word 'Boltagon' that it hit me. The Space Stone is currently unguarded near Earth's Orbit. The Skrulls don't know what it is and no one knows of its location. The Stone is on Mar-Vell's lab/spaceship, so why don't I go and get it?

Well for starters, I can't open a portal to the spaceship as I don't have a visual image of the location. But I know how to link a tracking spell with a portal spell. Dr. Strange achieved the same feat when he used Thor's hair to mystically pinpoint the location of Odin. Now using Peruvian 0-8-4, I can make a portal to Tesseract, AKA the ship.

So, here I am. In Llactapata, making my way towards the temple, under an Illusion Spell. Gotta be Incognito.

.

.

.

Placing the device on the ground, I hovered my right hand above it. Synchronizing its energy with the spell I had lined up. I familiarly rotated my arms. And the portal formed, but to my surprise instead of its standard golden-yellow colour, the circle now sported a light blue shade to its frame. But before I examine it, my eyes met the Tesseract on the other side of the portal.

Walking through the opening, I grabbed the cube in my hand. My initial plan was to seize it inconspicuously. But as I thought about it, I reached a solution where I can ally myself with the Skrulls. This is low-key very dangerous for me, one wrong move and I would be replaced by a Skrull. But what the hell, I know enough about them to bullshit my escape, I am feeling brave and foolish tonight. Why I am feeling brave and foolish? I don't know.

But before I could investigate this mysterious confidence that I suddenly subjected myself to, I was bought out of my stupor by a yell. Turning around, I saw a dozen Skrulls pointing their blasters at me.

Raising my hands in surrender words soon left my mouth, "Steady, now. I am friendly."

Hearing me, they passed a look between themselves, before one of them took a step forward, "Put down the cube and identify yourself."

Looking back at my hands, I spoke, "I am sorry, but my father won this by conquest from a Nazi, five decades ago. It was loaned to Lady Mar-Vell five years ago, to help you and your find a safe haven. How about we take a more tactful route and talk things through." I ended my speech, pointing my finger at their blasters.

"You knew Mar-Vell?" The female Skrull in the lead asked.

Well, this answers how much they know about the human race.

"Not personally. But I had heard about her from my father." maintaining the calm tone, I pulled my hands down.

Shaking her head, the Skrull made a pained face, "She was killed by the Kree. They sent the Starforce to assassinate her. We found her dead in the experimental vessel, she was building to help us escape, on your planet."

I nodded, "Hmm, now that does explain a lot." Pausing, I decided to maintain the act, "Did you happen to find the body of Captain Carol Danvers?"

She shook her head, "No, we only found Mar-Vell."

Humming, "Interesting," Moving my attention back to her, I bowed my head in greeting, "Names, Arno Stark."

She mumbled, "Stark. It's a familiar name." Ponting the blaster down, she moved forward to greet me, "Sorin."

Shaking her hand in response, I answered in a quizzical tone. "Sorin? You are Talos's wife."

"Wife?" She asked.

"Mate. Wife's an Earth term to describe the female mate." I explained.

She nodded, removing her hand from my grasp. Her eyes wandered to the Tesseract in my left hand.

If only I had a hammerspace to store this thing in. As I thought about this, the cube disappeared from my hand. Before I could panic, I felt a connection, just like one to Astral Plane, being made with me. Accepting it, I found it to be what I wished for, a personal pocket dimension for me. Huh, that was easy.

"Guess you proved your claim over the cube. It never responded to anything that Mar-Vell did." She looked back and commanded the others to withdraw their weapons in a foreign language.

Looking back at me, "So you have retrieved your family legacy. What do you plan to do now?"

Looking around the ship, I answered, "Maybe we could help each other out."

* * *

**Author Note: **

**Hmm... so much of note is done in this chapter by the SI. **

**I had to rewrite this and the next chapter twice, and then reformat it thrice. Coz I am that bad of a writer.**

**So a bit of explanation time, on some parts.**

**1\. Stark Pictures- Yes, it is a thing. It's from Agent Carter, though the company is defunct according to OTL. The SI will revive it to make that sweet Hollywood money.**

**2\. Merlin- Now he is an OP character that I wish could stay. But under his protection, the SI won't grow much. I took the comic identity of the character rather than making an alternative OC by taking ideas from sources like FGO. So his leave doesn't affect much of the story. Initially, I planned Merlin to be with the SI till 1995, until the big bad of the story comes in and threaten Merlin to leave the SI. But Universe, itself is big of a plot point that can force Merlin to leave.**

**3\. Magic- Now this was a difficult decision, I either had the OP version of MCU magic, which comes with very few drawbacks or Comic-verse Magic, which is more chanting and being in debt to other entities. So I made a mix of it, Universal Energy acts as a support magic system and comes with no drawback, Dimensional Energy is all about offensive and variety, but comes with a price. And Personal Energy is yours, no cost on it, but it takes time to master.**

**4\. Astral Plane- again it's a comic book thing. Every psychic power originates from here. How does the process work? Or how it grows in power? Well, nothing is explained. But I have an explanation on how it works, it would be in the next chapter.**

**5\. Skrulls- No, they are not so gullible to accept the SI as an ally. Something happened ****during their conversation**** that SI missed. It would be shown in the next chapter, but I would like to see you, the reader****,**** try and find out what happened.**

**REVIEW Q&A**

**Mr. Beaver Buttington: Ah, yes. I believe I did. A stupid mistake on my part, which I fixed now.**

**Emrys Akayuki: Nope, not going there. SI would be a bit manipulative, even to people close to him. But he won't do it out of malice or to hurt someone. Stuff, like leaving something major out of... you know what, the next chapter shows this trait of his very well.**

**DullReign82: Arno Walter Stark, is his full name. Edward and Walter are Howard Stark middle name. Since Anthony has Edward, Arno got Walter. And Arno is a comic book name from 616 Universe. And for the ending, yea... it got out of hand. This is my first rodeo, so please pardon my error.**


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